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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · fall · present · straw · pit · mate · board · saw

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. present — there
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — to breed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — to get on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — the season
  12. present — the time now
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pit — a hole
  18. board — a committee
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a friend
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com